True Brothers
by GreenFire65
Summary: When a family member of McGee's past steps back into his life, will McGee subject to the pain and misery of his past? Or will he realize the truth with the help of his new-found-friends?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hey, everybody. GreenFire66 here. I've been addicted to N.C.I.S for a little while now, and before long, I found myself coming up with this.**

**Well, I won't keep you waiting. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy.  
><strong>

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><p><span>Chapter 1<span>

He groaned softly, unable to make any other actions at the moment. And as soon as he was welcomed back from the abyss, he immediately felt the throbbing in his head. The mind splitting, scream worthy throbbing that would've caused any non-NCIS agent to scream in pain and panic. But (Very, as Anthony Dinozzo would start it off) Special Agent McGee was in was indeed an NCIS agent, thus he would not scream, but rather slowly analyze the situation with a calm face; or, at the very least, he would attempt to do so. Before he opened his eyes, he realized that he was sitting up, bound to the chair behind him by means of rope. He opened his eyes slowly, and gasped at what he saw. An all too familiar garage lay out in front of him, but how? Why? McGee bit his lip, as he attempted to hold back yet another scream of pain that arose from his throbbing head. His left arm felt weak, and it didn't help that his hands had been bonded behind his back. He turned slowly to his right.

He wasn't able to hold back the startled gasp.

Fear gripped him instantly as sweat raced down his forehead.

Directly to his right was a glass mirror, a long crack stretched down the middle in a jagged line.

It wasn't the mirror itself that frightened McGee, but rather what reflected off of it.

It was himself, but he was only able to confirm it was truly himself after he turned his head to make sure he wasn't the only one in the room.

Scars, bruises, and blood covered his face, his soft green eyes being the only recognizable part amidst the red and blue horror. The door behind McGee opened with a soft click.

"It's been a while, Timothy."

McGee's eyes stretched across his face.

He recognized that voice, and instantly, all that Very Special Agent McGee wished for was nothing more then a painless death.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Yeah. My chapters are short. But, hey, short, sweet, and to the point.<strong>

**Um... not really much to say. First story uploaded on here, but I still want an honest review. Constructive Criticism is very appreciated. Or, any sort of reviews for that matter. Thanks you for reading. Chapter 2 should be up soon. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: ... I'm shocked. I am utterly stunned. I did not expect this story to get a whole lot of attention.** **But it's been just 12 hours and already I have 5 reviews and countless favorites/Story watches.**

**Thank you all. (I don't know if that's alot or not, but it doesn't change the fact that I was having a near heart-attack. 'Dial 9-9-1, and wait for me to tell you to dial the last 1.') XD**

**Oh. Forgot to mention this last chapter. I don't own NCIS. (Unfortunately)**

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

Tony had that gut feeling ever since he woke up, and to be honest it was really annoying the hell out of him. Some feeling in his gut convinced him something bad was going to happen, and there would be nothing he could do to stop it. He laughed lightly at himself as the elevator doors opened with that all too familiar ding. He forced himself to chalk it up to having one too many beers the previous night.

But he knew that was a pretty pathetic lie.

He clearly remembered the night before, and he never so much as touched any alcoholic beverages.

No later then ten seconds after exiting the elevator, the worries came back. There was only one person in the bullpen.

"I see you're early, Ziva."

"No, you are just late." Ziva replied with a slight smirk on her face. Tony knew she was right; he got caught up in an accident before he arrived. He was about half an hour late to work then he usually was. There was a brief pause between the two. "Have you heard from McGee? I am worried about his absence." Tony shook his head.

"Haven't heard anything either." McGee not being there before Tony had gotten there was already odd enough to question, but it became flat-out bizarre when you considered how late Tony was this morning. McGee couldn't have gotten stuck in the same traffic-stopping crash that had drastically slowed Tony; the two of them drove off in opposite directions when they left work. He glared menacingly at the desk to his right, almost as if the person in question could see his eyes as they bore holes into what would've been his Probie's skull, if he were there at the moment. "I'm betting five bucks that he forgot to set his alarm." Tony walked over to his desk before 'lightly' slamming his bag onto the floor and began dialing McGee's house number. After five nerve-wracking mechanical beeps, he finally heard a voice.

_'Hi, you've reached the residence of Timothy McGee. I can't come to the phone right now, but leave a brief message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.'_

"Probie!" Tony yelled, ignoring the fact that he was in a Federal Office building. He became angered at the false voice that imitated McGee. "Hey, come on, man! Wake up! You're late!" He waited a moment before hanging up the phone with a frustrated sigh.

"Maybe you should try his cell?" Ziva offered, afraid of angering Tony even further. He nodded before dialing McGee's second number. Another five long, repetitive beeps, and then…

_'Hi. You've reached Timothy McGee's cell-' _The voicemail was caught off as Tony slammed the phone back into the slot. Tony rubbed his forehead in an attempt to calm his nerves. Angrily, he grabbed the gun that was in the compartment of his desk before half-walking and half-storming towards the elevator.

"Keep working, Ziva. I'll go and have a little word with McLate." Tony ordered in a somewhat pissed off tone. And he was glad it came out like that, that way Ziva wouldn't be able to detect the worry and concern in his voice.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: *Crosses fingers and hopes that he did Tony justice*<strong>

**I'm alot like McGee, so it felt natural to write him. Tony was a little bit harder to pull off, so i apologize if he has any OOC moments during the story.**

**Like always, any and all reviews/favorites/watches are appreciated. Thanks in advance, and hope you enjoyed the chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Tony's gut felt like it was about to lurch from his stomach. His foot was slammed on the gas pedal, and his hands had a death grip on the wheel. Tony knew McGee. And as annoying as the kid was at times, he was never late to work without a reason, and he would've phoned the office immediately if something came up. After a record time of fifteen minutes, (Tony's driving could compete with Gibb's when it had to) he slammed the car into park before quickly stepping out of the car. Not wanting to startle McGee in case he just happened to be sleeping, (and Tony had spent the entire car ride hoping so) he knocked on the door.

The door swung open upon the light impact of Tony's fist.

_Didn't even need the spare keys. _Tony thought to himself, trying to calm himself down. The door not being locked was worrying enough, but not even closed all the way? Wasting no time, Tony carefully walked inside with his gun held up.

Tony would've grinned at the times Tim and he had shared in the apartment, but the thought of McGee missing snapped him back to reality.

"Probie? You in here?" Tony glanced around; the only response he received was the answering machines constant beeping. Tony realized that it very easily could've been the message he left McGee.

The fact that there was no dog barking at him when he entered the door worried Tony. Did something happen to Jethro as well? Tim would never be the same if something happened to his beloved dog.

Tony found a calendar stuck to McGee's refrigerator. He quickly traced his fingers along the events planned for the week, seeing if the reason for McGee's absence. The only event was to pick up Jethro from the doctor's that day, but that wasn't until the evening.

And even if something had happened last minute, McGee still would've phoned in saying that he would be late, or he would at least answer his damn cell phone!

None of this was making any sense!

He calmed himself, at least that explained the missing dog, now what about the missing Probie?

Finding nothing to answer his question, he snarled before making the turn into McGee's bedroom.

A sound filled the tense atmosphere when Tony dropped his gun. He didn't notice, however. He was too busy observing what was in front of him.

Tony's eyes grew wide. This hellish scene before him had been the worst-case scenario, something he really hadn't prepared himself to accept.

"Tim!" Tony yelled with more worry then he's ever heard come out of his mouth. His voice probably startled every person in the apartment complex. It took all of his energy not to pound his fist into the wall with a mix of anger and sadness; he couldn't tamper the crime scene. Slowly, he reached into his pocket, and pressed the '4' for speed dial. After two rings the phone call was answered, for once that day.

"Ziva."

"Tony?" Ziva replied. "Where are you?"

"McGee's apartment. Grab your gear…"

"Gear? Tony! What has happened?"

"Just do it, Ziva! Now!" He yelled, disconnecting the phone before she had the chance to respond.

_Tim… What happened to you? And more importantly… where are you?_

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><p><em><em>**As always, any and all reviews/ watches/ favorites are not required, but very appreciated! Thank you all! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: The chapter below mentions Sarah McGee. She is a canon NCIS character. Just a quick little note for those who haven't seen the episodes pertaining to her.**

**And with that, let the chapter begin.**

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><p>Chapter 4<p>

"How long has it been, Timmy? 16 years?"

"Been keeping track, have you?" McGee instantly regretted the words. An uppercut connected with his jaw. McGee bended over as he coughed up some of the blood that escaped his mouth.

Tony was starting to rub off on him.

"I would be careful if I were you, Tim. After all, out of the two of us, I'm the more aggressive." The man replied with a smirk.

"If you hurt Sarah… I swear, I'll…"

"Sarah? Heavens no, I would never hurt her." Tim's abductor responded with a seemingly phony innocent expression. "That is, not until I'm done with you. I want to see her reaction after I tell her that her 'dear' older brother suffered a slow, painful death, full of all kinds of torture." The man flashed a demonic grin that made McGee shiver.  
>But he didn't show it, he couldn't! The pain, the fear… he's changed the past sixteen years. And it was about time he proved it, not only to the man standing in front of him, but to himself as well.<p>

"You leave her alone, you bastard!" McGee roared as his hand reached into the container that held his gun, and in one fluid hand motion, held the gun up to his abductor, the shiny barrel of the gun reflecting softly off the dim light from above.

… At least, that's what he was going for.

Unfortunately he had forgotten two essential things.

First, his hands were tied up, so there was no chance of him grabbing a gun, or anything for that matter.

And secondly, his gun was sitting back at the office. McGee mentally 'Gibbs-slapped' himself. Why was last night the one night he decided that it 'wasn't worth it' to drive back to work and get it?

Damn it.

"So, you finally learned how to be a man? I'm afraid you're sixteen years too late."

"I'm not a kid anymore. However, I can see you're still just as much of a self-centered egotistical bastard as you were before." And with that, McGee felt the foot slam into his chest. He felt his eyes close; his breathing began to stagger.

The kick was much more painful then the one he suffered sixteen years ago.

McGee glared at the man before his eyes shut once again.

"Ziva… Tony… help." He moaned before he felt the fatigue take over, and fell unconscious.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Some of them <em>are<em> long, I swear... (Well, longer then these, I should say)**

**Anyways. Yes, I am aware that no man would pass out from a pucnh to the jaw and a kick to the chest. Trust me. He has... more injuries then just the two shown in the chapter. A _lot _more. It will be explained in later chapters... hopefully.  
><strong>

**As always, any and all reviews/favorites/watches are appreciated! Thank you all for the continued support!  
><strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Well, I'm hoping I did Tony some justice in this chapter. I'm a little paranoid about writing him. (I fear the OOC-ness) But I'm hoping to improve on that.**

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><p>Chapter 5<p>

If just looking at the scene wasn't hard enough, having to follow it like a normal crime procedure made Tony's life a part-time living Hell.

The blood… there was a lot of blood. How could one human contain so much blood? The floors, the walls, the bed…

It was just like with Kate…

He failed McGee. He didn't make it in time. He couldn't save him.

"Tony!" He returned from his thoughts with a turn towards Ziva. "What is it that you want me to do?" It took Tony a second to remember why she was asking him.

Gibbs had left.

He was the team's new leader.

"Take pictures, Ziva. Look for anything out of the ordinary." Ziva nodded, not wanting to anger Tony any further. Tony sighed before walking up to the nightstand that was located to the right of the bed.

On the nightstand sat a picture of him, McGee, Ziva, Abby, Ducky, Jimmy, and a smiling-for-once-in-his-life Gibbs. Jimmy and Ducky were standing next to each other to the far left side of the photo, Jimmy with a face of laughter spread throughout, while Ducky had that pleasant smile. Ziva stood next to them, looking over to her left (picture's right) at the commotion that was occurring next to her, Abby had roughly the same expression, just reverse of Ziva. Gibbs stood to the far right with the smallest smile of them all; he only wore a slight grin, but coming from Gibbs, that's gotta be something. And smack dab in the middle of the photo, Tony had pulled McGee into a neck lock, but regardless, his Probie still had that McSmile that only he possessed.

The picture had been ruined by a bloody palm print that covered it, and Tony only recognized the photo because he, along with the rest of the team, had his own copy.

Tony cracked an almost invisible smile before he shook his head and picked up the photo with his gloved hands. He glanced towards the bed, and immediately noticed something off.

"Ziva. Found something." Ziva turned towards him and followed his finger to the object of interest. Nodding, she began taking pictures.

After four clicks, Tony picked up the item before placing it in the bag with a glare.

"A bloody piece of rope." Tony stated blankly. As if any emotion in his voice would cause him to break down right there and then.

"Actually, that somewhat puts me at seas."

"Ease." Tony corrected automatically, having been used to it by that point. He glanced back at the thread hanging from his gloved fingers. It was only as long as a piece of gum, and about as wide as a pencil. And he found nothing 'easing' about it. "And tell me, Ziva, why seeing a bloody piece of rope in the bedroom of our missing co-worker puts you at ease?" Tony snapped.

"Tony," Ziva walked up to him, staring him down. "I know you are upset about McGee, we both are, and so will the rest of the team when we tell them. But right now, you need to calm down."

"I'm the Team leader! The second that Gibbs left, you guys became my responsibility! I'm supposed to protect the team! I was supposed to protect my Senior Field Agent! I was supposed to protect McGee!" He instantly regretted yelling at her. He hadn't meant to take it out on Ziva. He glanced at her, but noticed that Ziva kept a straight face.

"It is not your fault," Ziva began. "And even if it were, that wouldn't matter. The most important thing we can do is find McGee." Tony nodded slowly. "Now, think about it Tony. If we assume the piece of rope we found came from rope that was used to tie up McGee before the suspect took him wherever, then one obvious question remains… why would someone go through the process of tying up McGee if he was dead?"

"Because…" Tony glanced at her with a soft smile. "Because he's still alive."

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Here's something important. Kinda hoping all of you guys noticed the, 'Gibbs isn't here, Tony is Team Leader' bombshell I threw at this story. I might as well just confirm the time line and say, this story doesn't take place during a specific season. I know Gibbs does leave once during the show, but this doesn't take place then because this story has Director Vance in it. Just figured I'd tell that before you all start assuming (and I wouldn't blame you) that this takes place during that Season in the show. (I think it's in 3 or 4...)<strong>

**Anyways, like always, all reviews/favorites/watches are highly appreciated. Thank you all for your continued support!  
><strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Sorry about the delay in this one, guys. I had a busy weekend, and I got stuck at one point. But I'm all good now! :D**

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><p>Chapter 6<p>

"You know, I have to admit. I'm impressed that you actually managed to snake your way into N.C.I.S. Tell me, how you did it, Timmy? Did you hack into the government's computer files and change the records? Bribe the person in charge? Or, maybe they just took pity on you? Maybe your now-fellow co-workers couldn't imagine seeing the poor weakling you are survive if they didn't give you this job. No doubt they regret it, of course."

"No, that's not true." McGee shook his head. "Unlike some people, I don't need to break the law to get a job that doesn't involve fast-food." The man circled around McGee, before hitting him in the back with a metallic object. McGee doubled over in pain.

A steel pipe?

He couldn't tell, but whatever it was, it hurt like hell.

"Oh really? Then tell me, how did you get it?" The man whispered over McGee's shoulder. Tim shivered.

"Gibbs gave me that job after seeing how hard I was working… and…" The man glared at McGee when he stopped talking, obviously waiting for him to try to fill himself with false hope.

"And…?"

"Kate… Kate seemed happy. She congratulated me on making the team, after a little bit of her usual messing around.

"Abby told me that she knew I would make it. She knew I wasn't cut out to be just some intern apprentice and coffee-getter.

"Ducky told me to be proud of my accomplishment, since getting in was no easy task.

"Gibbs simply grinned and told me I would lose the job if I didn't get back to work.

"And Tony…" He stopped himself. "I'm not sure. At first… I thought he was mad at Gibbs for letting someone like me onto the team."

"I would be too, if a low-life like you were trying to work your way to my level."

"But I don't get that feeling anymore. Now that I'm Senior Field Agent… Tony trusts me… he knows I have his six."

"His six?"

"I have his back. No matter what." The man stared at McGee.

"You may have his, but does he have yours?" McGee turned only to see another venomous grin stretch over his captor's face. "He sure didn't save you from me."

"He will. Just you wait, you'll regret those words." The man wrapped his fist around McGee's shirt before pulling him, (and the chair he was tied to) into the air.

"Listen, you worm. The only thing I _regret_ is not killing you sooner." And with that, he slammed the chair back onto the floor, McGee let out a soft grunt of pain at the harsh landing.

"But then again, it wouldn't be fun if you died quickly. I want to watch you squirm, I want to watch you suffer. That will make your death all the more enjoyable." The man stared at McGee with that bone-chilling stare void of any human emotion as he pulled something out from his jean pocket. McGee gasped when he saw it.

A knife.

A hunting knife.

McGee shivered as the man slowly walked up to him. He pressed the knife sharply against McGee's forehead before gently running the knife slightly above the right eye. McGee felt a trickle of blood run down his forehead before drenching his eyebrow.

"One scar." The man smiled menacingly at McGee. "One scar for every day of imprisonment with me."

"In that case, you're off by roughly eighteen years." The man glared at McGee, before breaking a slight grin.

"Well, we'll have to make up for lost time, won't we?" His abductor replied as he began walking towards the sole door in the room.

"You're gonna burn in hell, Tommy." The man turned towards McGee.

"I will. But not until after I get my revenge. All of it."

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Tommy doesn't even sound evil in the slightest. XD<br>But believe me on this, he was named that for a good reason.**

**I put up a poll on my account. It's actually really important to this story... Please vote? **

**Like always, any and all Reviews/Watches/Favorites are greatly appreciated!  
><strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: ... I guess I owe an apology. This one took a lot longer then I wanted to write.  
>This chapter probably isn't all that... NCIS worthy. Please do keep in mind, I'm an author, not a Forensic Scientist. I researched as much as I could... but Wikipedia isn't the same thing as a college degree if you catch my drift... <strong>

**Don't worry. I promise to make up fro the long wait. In the time used to vent my frustration, I went ahead and wrote some of the future chapters, so expect daily updates for a little while.  
><strong>

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><p>Chapter 7<p>

"Abs. We've got some evidence for you." Tony watched as the Goth turned towards him and Ziva.

"Tony!" She walked up to him with ferocity. Tony stared at her with a questionable face.

"Yeah, Abs?"

"Where were you? You said you were going to pick up McGee, and next thing I know, you're calling Ziva to get over to a crime scene! Can't you pick up a co-worker without running into trouble?" He glanced down at the ground.

"Sorry, Abs."

"Where is McGee?" Tony snapped his eyes opened before turning quickly to Ziva.

She hadn't told Abby yet?

No… of course not. Ziva hadn't known what was happening when she left.

Tony was going to have to tell her.

This was not going to end well.

"Don't worry about it. Here's some evidence from the crime scene." Tony set the box down on the lab table. He couldn't let Abby know about McGee, mostly because he couldn't find the words to tell her. He'd prefer the machine tell her instead of him. Tony was thankful that she decided not to argue for now. She opened the box of latex gloves and quickly snapped two on her hands. She dug through the box of evidence.

"A bunch of blood samples, a piece of rope, and a picture frame with a bloody palm print? Kinda hard to work with, guys." Tony mentally sighed a breath of relief. If she had noticed what the picture was of, he would've been screwed.

"Abs. It wasn't easy for us." Tony mentally slapped himself. How did he let that one slip by?

"What do you mean?"

"Tell you later. Can you do me a favor and run a test on the blood found on the rope?" Abby nodded slowly before placing it into one of her metallic buddies and turning back towards Tony.

"What are you standing around for? This stuff takes time. Unless they work in the building, since all employees blood samples are checked first due to-" She was cut off by the beeping of her machine. She questioningly spun towards the machine, freezing as her eyes laid upon the identification the screen had made.

"Tony?"

"Yeah, Abs?"

"Why did the blood found at the crime scene positively match with that of Timmy's?"

"Because… because…" She turned to him, eyes beginning to water.

"Tony… no! You can't mean!" She darted past them as she ran out of the lab, accidentally pushing Tony out of her way as she did so.

Where would she be…

"Abby, wait! He's not with Ducky!" Ziva yelled suddenly. Abby stopped right in front of the sliding glass doors.

"He-he's not…?"

Of course… Tony hadn't told her that they hadn't found a bod…- McGee. She had assumed it was a murder investigation.

"There's no body, Abs. McGee could still be alive." She turned, slowly. She held up the rope for all to see.

"I'll run a scan on the rope, see if I can find where it came from." Abby exclaimed. "This isn't your normal piece of rope. It's different then just the average, everyday strand you find in a store." She explained to the two. As she was lowering it, it all clicked to Tony, and he wanted to hit himself.

"No need. I recognize it." They turned to Tony. "Tim and I went camping once. It was this kind of fiber that we pitched up the tent with, which happens to be a Boy Scout Exclusive."

"So… you are saying that one of his fellow scouts tied him up, and used this rope because of that?" Ziva questioned.

"Or just someone that knew he was in Scouts." Tony mumbled almost silently. They paused for a while. Tony shook his head. "We're getting nowhere with this! Let's just focus on something else!" He paused, and turned to Abby, suddenly remembering something of importance during the drive back to base. (Although Ziva driving was cause enough for concern, he knew he wouldn't be able to focus on the road.) "Abs, there is something I want to show you." He took out the pictures of the crime scene; stopping at one of the ones that Ziva took that caught his interest. "I remember you and McGee once trying to explain to me something called 'blood splatter', or something like that… isn't this it?" Abby and Ziva glanced at the picture. He pointed to a certain part of the picture. Abby nodded her head slowly.

"That's right, Tony." She took the picture and quickly scanned it onto her computer, then projecting it onto the wall for a larger viewing size. "Now, if you look at the picture, the first thing you'll notice is that the right hand side has way more blood. The blood can be categorized into two categories; Medium Velocity Impact Spatter, which is generally caused by being beaten physically, and the Pool Pattern, which is a bloodstain pattern formed when a source of blood is stationary for a period of time. This allows us to assume-"

"That McGee was probably on the right side, taking most of the hits. And that that is the spot where McGee passed out from loss of blood."

Blood.

He had to say that, didn't he?

He shivered.

"Right." Abby replied after shooting him a glare. He shut his mouth. She was onto something… don't interrupt her. "Now, closer examination on the left side of the picture shows that there's only two major parts that contain blood with any sort of relevant pattern. The thin trail that you see on the bottom of the picture. This is called Flow Pattern. The 'tail' is caused by a change in the shape and direction of a bloodstain due to the influence of gravity or movement of the object." Tony and Ziva stared at her. She sighed. "If we assume there were only two people in the room, our suspect and McGee, and we can assume that Tim lost this fight, then we can say that when McGee's mudere…- abductor struck him with whatever weapon he was using, the loose bits of the blood attached to the weapon flew off of the weapon when our mystery man pulled his arm back after striking Timmy. It's complicated, but basically, since the blood flows from the right side of the picture to the left, as indicated by the 'tail', we can assume that the blood in that trail belongs to McGee. And judging by the amount, that could've very easily have been a blow to Timmy's head."

_Damn it. _Tony swore under his breath. He had to keep his head up. He was Team Leader; they were depending on him, not Gibbs, to keep their spirits up.

"So that explains the trail of blood." He replied casually, as if the sentiment had barely affected him.

"Exactly. This also tells us one thing." Tony and Ziva turned to her. "Our Mystery Man is right-handed." She paused. "Or Ambidextrous. One of the two."

"Anything else, Abs?"

"Did you guys keep track of which blood you got from where?"

"Of course, Abby. Just like always"

"I'm sorry. Stupid question." She muttered. "Then this blood, here." She zoomed in to the top left of the picture. "Is more then likely _not _McGee's."

"Really?"

"Really." Abby nodded. "Look. Notice how the left half of the blobs are straight drops, with no 'tail' in either direction? That means they more then likely came from falling down from a wound. Now, the drops to the right have a slight hint that they fell from the left side of the picture to the right, indicating Tim struck our suspect at least once, and when he pulled his fist back from the punch, the blood flowed in the direction of his fist. The picture's left to right, in this case."

"Abs. Hold on, you're forgetting something crucial." Tony walked over to the picture and studied it closer. "If it was indeed McGee's abductor who suffered the wound, and it was the blood that was left on McGee's fist that caused that blood. What fist would you say McGee used to punch with?" Abby was silent for a second as she mentally formulated the answer.

"Well. That blood would've been on McGee's… right side. So, assuming he didn't punch diagonally across himself, I would say he used his… right hand…"

"Exactly, Abs." Tony nodded slowly. "McGee is left-handed. He writes with his left hand, hold his gun with his left hand on the trigger… so why would he punch with his right?" They sat there in silence. Until Ziva broke it with her gasp.

"Last week. Wasn't McGee complaining about his left arm being sore after he fell on it?" Tony nodded slowly.

"He did… Although we all figured something more serious had happened and he was just using that as a cover-up… He was able to work, though, so I let it slide. As if his chances weren't slim enough… he had to fight with his weaker hand… thank God he managed to get the one blow we needed." He replied before grabbing a vial of blood and handing it to Abby.

"Here. This should be the one that doesn't have McGee's in it. Hopefully." Tony replied before handing the vial to Abby. "Come on, Ziva. Let's go see if we can figure something out. Abby-"

"I'll let you know the second I find something. Don't worry, Tony." She smiled gently before shooing them off. Tony and Ziva walked back to the elevator. Just before the door began automatically closing, the two heard an easily distinguishable beeping sound, immediately followed by Abby's gasp of shock. The two glanced at each other before rushing back into Abby's lab. She stood there with her back to the computer screen, slowly shaking her head.

"Don't tell me it was Tim's?" Tony questioned, almost biting his tongue the second it left his mouth. Tim? He never called McGee by his first name. He silently thanked God neither of the two females seemed to pay any heed.

"It wasn't." Abby replied slowly. "When I tell my computer to scan for either fingerprints or DNA matches, it goes through all members of NCIS, if no matches are found, it then searches through all family members of all members." They stared at her, silent and stunned.

"The person is related to Timmy. _Closely _related."

"Don't tell it was McGee's father?"

Abby shook her head.

"Surely neither his mother nor Sarah would've done something as drastic as this?"

Abby sighed before turning around and pulling up a picture and once again displaying it on the wall. It was a picture of two strands of DNA.

"The one on the left is Timmy's. The one on the right is our kidnapper." Abby said, not even hinting at any 'maybe'. Tony and Ziva took a step forward.

"They're pretty alike." Ziva stated.

"Not identical, but they do have a lot in common." He turned to Abby. She sighed before opening up another picture onto the Lab's wall. An I.D. card.

It was the last name that caught Tony's attention immediately.

_McGee._

"Tony. Ziva. I'd like you to meet Timmy's fraternal twin, Tommy McGee."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Horray for dialogue heavy chapters!<br>... Please don't kill me?**

**As always, any and all Reviews/Watches/ Favorites are greatly appreciated! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!  
><strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note**: **I really do apologize about the shortness of this chapter. I really liked the cliffhanger from the last chapter, but then I realized I didn't have to write after that before next chapter, but the events in this chapter were important to plot (like always...)**

**So, in other words, short, but important.**

**Hope you enjoy. :)**

* * *

><p>Chapter 8<p>

"Please tell me you have something, Ziva." Tony rubbed his forehead in frustration before glancing up at Ziva.

"Unfortunately, I do not have much to offer, but…" Ziva replied before standing up and initiating her slideshow. "Tommy McGee was McGee's, er, Tim's paternal brother. Tommy is older by a couple of minutes."

"McGee's older twin took him hostage after beating him up in his own home…?" Ziva nodded.

"It seems these that our McGee and his twin are two sides of two very different dollar bills."

"Coins."

"That is what I said." She glanced back at the presentation, obviously wanting to stay focused. "He made quite of record in school. Nothing good, of course. Pretty temperamental and has quite a record for bullying and assaulting his classmates. The last anyone heard of him he was involved with a gang that traded illegal drugs."

"Police haven't arrested him because of lack of evidence?" Tony hazarded a guess.

"Nope. They have all they need. Video footage being the main piece of evidence."

"Why hasn't he been arrested yet?"

"They don't know where he is. Disappeared sixteen years ago when he was eighteen. He has no known house, phone, or record of purchasing a vehicle."

"Ziva. Please tell me you have some good news. None of this is encouraging me whatsoever."

"If you'll remember what I said earlier, Tommy was involved in a gang, which they have found the location of said gang's hideout."

"And they still haven't arrested him?"

"It was a dead end. They did multiple stakeouts over the span of a year, but found nothing. Local Police declared it as a 'false lead'."

"False or not, it's the only lead we got." He glanced at Ziva as he stood up, gun being put back into its container on Tony's belt. "Gear up, Ziva."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: And that's a wrap!<strong>

**Next chapter will (hopefully) be up sometime tomorrow. (I'm thanking those who were patient with Chapter 7)**

**Like always, any and all Reviews/Watches/Favorites are greatly appreciated! Thank you all and I hope you are enjoying the fanfiction!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: And... we're back! **

**I feel bad about the short chapter last time... hope this makes up for it? Kinda...**

* * *

><p>Chapter 9<p>

Tim moaned. The dried blood over his right eye made it difficult to see. The only thought keeping him from just giving up and giving into to the breath-takingly excruciating pain in his head was the fact that he knew his team would get there soon. Any moment now, Ziva and Tony would bust through that door, guns held up, Tommy behind them in handcuffs.

Seemed like something out of a novel.

Maybe even something out of his next novel.

He laughed at himself. 'Agent Tommy' was right; he does get all of his ideas from his life.

Why was he thinking about that at a time like this?

His hell-bent tormentor was making it his mission to thoroughly enjoy McGee's pain as much as he possibly could while on the other side of that door. Tommy was no-doubt plotting other forms of torture for amusement, and yet all McGee could think of was the title of his next best seller

He really needed to talk to Tony when this was over. Tell him to stop warping McGee's mind.

The door swung open. Not slow and intimidating like the other times, but instead rather forcibly, which seemed to scare McGee more then the other times where his pathetic excuse of a brother would slowly creek the door open. If McGee could turn around, he wouldn't have been surprised if he saw the door had been flown off it's hinges, and his tormentor's foot held in the kicking position dramatically as the dust slowly floats gently into the air before dissipating into nothingness, like in the movies Tony and he would watch together.

Damn it, he did it again!

He found the lights turn off. He closed his eyes instinctively, his tiredness and fatigue taking over.

The footsteps came.

Closer.

Louder.

Heavier with every step.

He felt his eardrum cry out in pain. He winced.

He could feel Tommy stand in front of him, pounding heavily onto the ground once more, just to ensure he had Tim's attention. McGee felt something being pressed up against his eye. It didn't feel sharp, but it was still causing the area around his eye to become sore due to the pressure his captor was putting on it.

"Open your eyes, runt." Tim slowly obeyed.

The burning blur of white had rushed into his eyes. He immediately recoiled; screaming as he harshly shut his eyes before attempting to put his hands in front to shield them, having once again forgotten that the ropes constricting him would not allow for him to do as such.

"Keep it opened!" The man roared as he grabbed the pulled the bottom of McGee's right eye down and at the same time pulling the top part up, forcing the eye to open with a single hand.

Tim couldn't shut his eye, nor turn away from the excruciating brightness. His eye began watering, but his eye couldn't close, nor even blink away the tears. He was forced to sit there and stare at the light.

"What's wrong, Timothy?" Tommy sneered. "You're scared of the light, and you're scared of the dark. What aren't you afraid of?"

"You're what's wrong. The only thing I'm scared of is your face being the last thing I see." McGee managed to surprise even himself by speaking.

DiNozzo was going to pay for turning him into a mini-yet-just-as-cocky version of the older agent.

Tommy pulled his hand away from Tim and turned off the flashlight. McGee shut his eye quickly as the sadistic bastard in front of him removed the flashlight that was pressed against his eye. He breathed in sharply, letting the tears fall, but trying to blink them out of sight as quickly as possible.

And then Tommy walked away.

Tim breathed a sigh of relief. That is, until he heard the footsteps coming back.

The sound of… water? Yep, water sloshing inside a container of sorts. He slowly breathed. He only noticed it then, but saying his throat was dry like the Sahara was an understatement. He opened his left eye, fearing what would happen if he opened his right before it recovered.

Before he had time to react, he felt a hand grasp the back of his head before sharply pulling it down. He had to force his eyes to stay shut as his head was suddenly submerged into the water.

He would've taken a gulp of the water, but thankfully his nose reacted before his mouth.

Salt water.

He grimaced; he had a fear of the beach when he was younger. It wasn't the water itself that used to scare him, but rather what lay below the depths. Obviously, that fear no longer existed; this was yet another sign of Tommy's unwillingness to realize how McGee has changed.

McGee knew Tommy wanted him to struggle, so he had to avoid that. He could stay submerged for roughly a minute.

_60, 59…_

No, wait. He should count up; counting down would make him nervous.

_4, 5, 6…_

It was hard not to drink the water from under him; it was like giving a dog a bone and then throwing it over a fence.

_11, 12…_

He **was** like a dog, and he hated it. He hated when people put them at the same level.

_16, 17, 18…_

...Dog?...

_20…_

He felt a drop in his stomach before he remembered his dog was safe. Jethro was at the vet with a broken paw.

_26, 27…_

He felt the grip of the hands above him loosen. Was it a trick? Did his tormentor do that to see if he would take the bait?

_31…_

Yep. Tommy's hand immediately tightened. OK, then… just need to lure Tommy into a false state of safety, and then get the jump on him. Yeah, it shouldn't be that difficult.

…

Damn it! He lost track of time!

_Calm down… calm down… just go to 40._

_40, 41, 42, 43…_

He wasn't right. His numbers were off, and he knew it. He already felt himself having to force his mouth to stay closed.

Don't take a breath… don't take a breath…

Oh, screw it.

With sudden a sudden burst of strength, McGee flung his head back against Tommy's push. The forcing pressure gave way as Tim managed to come up gasping for air. He half expected his demonic brother to grab his head and force him back under. Instead, the man simply smiled.

McGee hated that smile.

"Well, fifty-two seconds, Timmy. A new record." Tommy stated blankly. "Did you enjoy your bath?"

McGee replied with a glare and a snarl.

"Well, then. Just one last thing before I go."

The knife.

McGee braced himself.

He felt the knife run slowly along his right eye once again. He could feel yesterday's scar reopen as the knife's new path intersected yesterday's.

The man flashed a grin before walking away.

"See you later, Timmy." The man replied with a smile before walking through the door and closing it. McGee stared in front of himself, having nowhere else to look or turn to.

His wrists were killing him; no doubt the rope was causing the skin to rub away.

The rope constricting his chest was equally killing him. It felt like it was tightening by the minute, it was getting harder for him to breathe.

His head was killing him. If the injuries weren't bad enough, his throbbing headache and possible concussion only seemed to worsen the situation.

He grimaced.

Two cuts of the knife, huh?

Tommy said one for every day. It had to be morning. So he was going to start off every day with a fresh new scar?

Today was the start of day two then?

Damn it… he couldn't believe it had only been one day.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: And this is the closest thing to torture we're gonna get. <strong>

**As always, any and all Reviews/Watches/Favorites are greatly appreciated! Thank you all for your continued interest in this story!  
><strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Hey, everyone! Here's another chapter! **

**Something important I better mention. Two OC's lie within this chapter. I've based them as correctly as I could with what little information the show has given me, but other then that, I basically used my imaginiation.**

**And with that, let's begin!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 10<p>

Damn it! He couldn't believe it had already been one full day!

Tony jumped out of the apartment's bed and did a quick sweep of the area. There wasn't anytime to lose; they needed to find McGee.

"Come on, Ziva. Let's get going." He exclaimed as he turned to her bed, which was located on the opposite side of the hotel.

"Right," she nodded. Tony did the best to hide his fear. He couldn't show Ziva that he was afraid.

Tony stepped into the bathroom before quickly getting changed.

With some luck, Vance had allowed them to investigate the drug group's hideout, since when Director Vance called the local police; they insisted that since no activity had happened there during the year they had checked the place, **obviously **the hideout was no longer of interest to police.

Geez. What was it with cops and being a pain in the ass?

The sun had set for hours when they finally pulled together what very few strings of information they could find before leaving NCIS, and it was a three-hour drive to their destination. Two hours into the drive, and both him and Ziva were beginning to doze off. And while Ziva insisted that she could take over for Tony while he took a nap, even Tony understood that the last thing McGee needed was both of his partners getting into a car accident because Tony DiNozzo let **Ziva David**, of all people, drive while exhausted at midnight. So now they only had an hour-long drive until they could finally confront whatever was waiting for them at Tommy's gang's hideout.

"This is the place." Ziva muttered. As they both quickly stepped out. Tony felt his hand automatically move towards the gun at his side. He knocked on the door.

"N.C.I.S.! Open up!" After a short pause, Tony motioned for Ziva to head towards the boarded up window. "You know, it would've been nice of Director Vance if he could've given us a warrant to search the place." He turned to her. She was trying to peek her way through the boards of wood nailed to the window.

"There is no need. We can enter regardless."

"Gee, Ziva, that sounds great. Then I'll get arrested a third time on the job."

"We have a reason to enter." Ziva replied as she headed towards the door. "There are two people in there. Both tied with ropes to two chairs, one unconscious, the other seems to be having trouble staying awake."

"Good enough for me." Tony replied before grabbing the handle on the door and twisting it. No response. "Of course. It's locked."

"Move." Ziva commanded tersely. She pulled an object out of her pocket, and as she began bending it, Tony realized what it was.

"You carry a paperclip with you at all times?"

"I took it from the front counter in the hotel. I figured it might come in use later." Ziva explained without turning to him. Before he had a chance to respond, she had stuck the 'lock-pick' into the lock, unlocked the door, and swung it open. Not even questioning the speed of her actions, Tony walked inside slowly, gun drawn and at the ready. After he and Ziva quickly panned around for anyone other then the two people tied to chairs, they quickly raced over to the hostages.

"Are you alright?" Ziva asked worriedly as she grabbed the man's shoulder. The man shook his head. It was obvious that the two of them were physically drained, and it didn't help that they were older. Ziva took a small knife from her pocket and began cutting the rope constricting the two.

Good ol' Gibbs' rule number nine.

"I can't get my wife to wake up. She's been unconscious for hours. The man just dumped us here and left. We've been here at least two days," the man replied weakly. Tony knew he had to keep him awake. His wife wouldn't be able to give them any answers, and he was their only witness.

"What're your names?"

"I'm Jonathon McGee. This is my wife, Kathyrn McGee." Tony and Ziva glanced frantically at each other.

"Do you know a 'Timothy McGee'?" Tony asked quietly, although he already knew the answer.

"He's our son," the man replied furrowing his brow. "What's wrong? Did something happen to him?"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: And now you know...<strong>

**Don't worry, much more detail will be given next chapter about these two!**

**Just like always,** **any and all** **reviews/watches/favorites are greatly appreciated!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: Kinda quick little thing I guess I should remember to bring up. This fanfiction mentions a couple of episodes throughout it. I will point out any and all that are mentioned at the start of the chapter they are mentioned. **

**For example, in this chapter, I mention Tim's book, Deep Six. If you do not know about his book series, I suggest you go watch the episodes 'Twisted Sister', and 'Cover Story'.**

**And without further ado, let us begin.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 11<p>

"You can go in, but do keep in mind what they've been through. They still need their rest," the nurse said as she peered over her clipboard. Tony nodded to Sarah. Sarah gave her a small smile of gratitude and a quick 'thank you' before quietly opening the door. Tony and Ziva turned to the nurse, allowing Sarah to have some time with her parents.

"How are they, doctor?" Ziva asked.

"Their conditions are stable. They're pretty dehydrated, so I'd like to keep them here over night. But other than some rope burns on their arms, that's about it." The nurse nodded before heading off.

"It does not make sense." Ziva muttered. Tony turned to her. "For what reason would someone have to kidnap the McGees and then simply abandon them?"

"I'm gonna assume it's not even worth debating whether or not it was Tommy…" Tony trailed off. The sick bastard. First he goes after his parents, then his own twin brother? Who next?

…Who else?

"Sarah." Tony muttered after unceremoniously slamming the door open and walking hastily inside.

"Agent Tommy. What do you need?" Sarah questioned without moving from her mother's side.

Tommy.

Tony hated that name; it left a sour aftertaste in his mouth. Why had Sarah called him…?

McGee's book. The name of Tony's double is named Agent Tommy.

Why would McGee name him that?

He shook his head. Now wasn't the time for that.

"Sarah. We think the person that kidnapped your parents and left them to die is the same person who kidnapped Tim. And if that's the case, then he's likely to target you next." At this, all three pairs of eyes turned towards him.

"Timothy's been kidnapped?" Tony glanced at the person who spoke. Kathyrn McGee. He immediately recognized the shade of the light brown hair that flowed freely across the hospital bed. And those eyes, dead give away.

The words struck Tony then. He mentally cursed at himself.

He was slipping as Team Leader.

When he'd called the McGees, they hadn't answered, but at the time, he hadn't known why.

They might've noticed the McGees were missing sooner if he had just stopped by their house! "I… I'm sorry." Tony replied earnestly, glancing slowly to the man lying in the hospital bed. Tony was convinced if you turned back time, the man would have looked just like Tim. Tony guessed that the man's now gray-ish hair had once been a blond of some sorts. He gave the ground his attention, unable to look at the family in front of him. Ziva had walked in then, and when she noticed the silence, she placed a comforting hand on Tony's shoulder. He nodded before once again facing the family.

"We have reason to believe that Tim was kidnapped. There are signs of forced entry and struggle… And in the bedroom…" He glanced away.

_DiNozzos don't cry…_

_DiNozzos don't cry…_

"We're still searching, but we're doing our best to find-" Then it hit him. It should have been obvious.

There wasn't any time to waste.

He reached into his pocket before pulling out his cell phone, which he quickly handed Ziva.  
>"Ziva call Vance. I need two guards standing outside this door until we have the bastard in our custody."<p>

Ziva stared at the phone. Then at Tony, her face showed pure confusion.

"Ziva! Don't you realize it yet? First, Tommy goes and kidnaps Jonathon and Kathyrn, and then he immediately goes and takes Tim without dealing with the parents first! You asked this question yourself! Why kidnap them in the first place?" He paused. A grin that had no right being there slowly snaked its way onto his face.

"He's holding Tim hostage in his parent's home."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: I'm not very good at describing people. *Gibbs-slap self*<strong> **I apoligize if there are any questions pertaining to the parents... **

**Oh! I know the episode 'Penelope Papers' mentions that McGee and his father had a little bit of a... 'falling out' in their past... Um. I just imagine that after the episode when Tim calls his father, the two talk it out and make up. I didn't really think about that until after I had this and the next couple of chapters planned out, and plus, I really didn't want to make Tim's father angry at him.**

**Thank you for reading!  
><strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: After a small delay, I'm back in business!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 12<p>

The silence was bugging McGee. Worrying him to the point of exhaustion.

Silence.

It was all that he has asked for while tied to the chair in the all too familiar garage.

Well, that and being rescued, of course.

But now, he found it was the same comforting silence that he had asked for also brought out the worst of his fears.

Maybe Tommy was right.

Maybe he was terrified of everything.

He couldn't stand it when Tommy was in the room tormenting and taunting him as he went through unbearable forms of torture.

But he also couldn't stand the silence that loomed over him right now, its unknown intentions hiding within the rest of the house that he couldn't see.

He was scared of what Tommy was going to do to him next.

He was scared of not knowing where he was.

He was scared of the blood that covered his body.

He was scared of the memories that kept flooding through his head.

He was scared of the fact that Tony and Ziva might never come rescue him.

He was scared of the inevitable fate that seemed to be waiting.

He was scared of dying without saying good-bye to those he cared about.

He was scared of everything.

Tears began to form under his eyes, his already blurry vision now becoming rapidly misty, and his constant blinking pretty much rendered his vision useless.

"_What's wrong, Timmy? What scared you this time?"_

"_Gonna run to your bedroom and cry, Tim?"_

"_Will you ever grow up, Timmy?"_

"_I can't stand the sight of you. You sniveling dog!"_

"_If it weren't for that gunman, you'd be dead, Probie."_

McGee's eyes shot open. Why had the voice changed just then?

"_You were funnier when you were fatter."_

"_The only useful thing you did was lie dead on the ground."_

"_You and me, McGee. We're done."_

He had escaped from Tommy, only to jump right into Tony, who seemed to be just as cruel as his demented twin.

But he knew that was wrong.

Tony made **him **his Senior Field Agent, Tony went to **him **after he shot that cop, Tony said he had **missed** McGee while he was on Agent Afloat, Tony even went so far as to say he **loved **McGee after he pulled Tony up from that parking complex.

So… Tony didn't hate him?

But why? Why would anyone like a coward like him?

A flurry of knocks resonating throughout the house interrupted his thoughts.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Why was this episode so much fun to write?<br>No idea why, but this is one of my favorite chapters.**

**Hope you enjoyed!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note:**

**Me: "Oh, goody! It's here!"**

**Tony: "Goody? Who says goody?"**

**Me: "I do. Especially since this is the episode that I know (hope) a bunch of you have been waiting for! Without further ado... LET'S ROLL!" **

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 13<span>

"I never thought I'd say this, but drive faster, Ziva!"

Why did everything have to be on opposite ends of the state? It could've been a convenient two-minute drive from the hospital to McGee's parents house, but no. It had to be two fucking hours instead!

Damn it.

"Tony, I am already going over double the speed limit. I cannot go any faster!"

Tony sighed as he leaned back and frustratingly tapped the car window as he gazed outside.

_Hang in there, Probie. I'm coming._

The colors blurred by, until after what seemed like an eternity, they had finally reached the home.

Tony was out of the car before it even came to a stop.

Grabbing his gun out of its holster, he motioned for Ziva to go around the back entrance. He didn't want to split up, but he knew Tommy would bolt out the back door. He prayed that Tommy would run out the back, and when he did, find Ziva waiting for him. If things went according to plan, he'd have just enough time to find Probie.

Scratch that, go in there and find Tim.

After Tony was sure that Ziva was in position, Tony pounded on the door.

"Federal agents! Come out with your hands up!"

Yeah. Like it would ever be that easy?

Tony immediately heard a loud clatter and hurried footsteps. Tony let out a growl in frustration as he kicked the door open.

He took a quick sweep of the room. There was a staircase to his left and the living room to the right. Scrutinizing the scene farther, he noticed a flashlight, a dirty tub of water, a set of ropes, and a bloody knife…

Bloody Knife?

Shit.

_Keep focused. Keep focused._

To his right was a hallway of rooms; he noticed that the door in the far back had swung open.

Ziva's shout from outside at Tommy told him all he needed to know. He was right; Tommy had tried to escape the back.

He knew Ziva could take care of it. All that was left was to find McGee.

Alive.

His footsteps echoed in the empty hallway. He glanced frantically from side to side; where was McGee?

_Which room? Damn it, Tim! Give me a sign!_

He came to the end of the hallway, stopping to listen for any sign. Not a moment later, he heard a faint moan emanating from the door to his right.

There was no door after that.

Breaking the door down using his shoulder with a ferocity and sudden burst of strength he had never known, he immediately rushed down the three steps of the garage before sprinting over to the limp object he assumed to be human.

He wasn't sure if it was what he saw or what he heard that caused the knot in his throat to tighten and his heart to drastically stop.

McGee was propped in the chair, a bloody slumped mess of an object. His hands were white as death, blue at the tips. His circulation was being cut off. The rope had a death-grip around his wrists. His clothing was colored a dark crimson. McGee's eyes fluttered open. They were unfocused, and Tony wasn't sure he could recognize them anymore. They seemed lifeless.

"Just do it, Tommy. Finish me off. I can't take it anymore. I can't take the torture. This isn't worth it. Just get it over with. Hurry up and fucking kill me." Tony immediately stepped forward. He could see McGee tighten.

"Tim. It's me." He took another step, and Tim quickly lowered his eyes shut, his body shaking in fear.

"Probie!"

McGee's eyes snapped open as he strained to see him.

"Tony?"

Tony frowned as he realized what the problem was. He took his sleeve and softly wiped the tears from Tim's eyes.

"I'm right here, Probie. Ziva's got Tommy out back. You're safe now." Tony replied softly. He grabbed his knife and bent over to cut the ropes on McGee's wrists. McGee was shaking violently.

"Tim, I need you to calm down, I wanna slice the ropes, not your wrist."

"Sorry, Tony." He was barely audible, and Tony realized that was all he could manage

"Don't apologize, it's-"

"A sign of weakness, I know."

"I was gonna say it's not your fault." Tony glanced up at a confused McGee. "None of this is your fault, and I want you to know that right now."

McGee nodded slowly, the vibrating of his hands began to cool down.

"Hold still, Probie. This will only take a sec." Tony cut the ropes, careful not to hurt McGee in the process. Once finished, he circled around to face McGee.

"Think you can stand?" Tony questioned, already knowing the answer.

"No, sorry." Tim muttered as he slowly shook his head.

"Stop apologizing. It's not your fault." Tony rolled his eyes and smiled softly as he walked to McGee's right side and crouched down.

"What are you doing?" McGee asked startled.

"Getting the hell outta this place, you ready?" Tony replied with a grin as he wrapped Tim's right arm around his neck. He kept a hold of McGee's arm with his right hand, and with his left hand around McGee's back, they slowly stood up, giving McGee time to get used to standing. Realizing that the extra weight wasn't so bad, Tony took a step forward, and another, and before long, the pair were slowly trudging their way towards the door.

With every step, McGee's breathing became heavier and more staggered, and he more greatly relied on Tony for support.

Tony didn't mind.

"Thank God you went on the diet, Tim. I don't think I could do this otherwise." Tony exclaimed jokingly.

Then, two things happened at once, because obviously on Team DiNozzo, one bad thing isn't good enough.

First, Tony heard a gunshot echo from outside.

And secondly, Tony felt the arm wrapped around his neck go limp as Tim's head slumped onto his shoulder.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

**Fear me and my evil cliff hangers! **

**Oh. Um... I noticed I tend to cuss... a lot. Especially with Tony. If you guys think I do too much, let me know so I can tone it down.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's ****Note: And, with that, we're back!  
>I just figured I'd update both of my stories before I left for a week long vacation.<br>Which is something else I should discuss. I don't think I'll have internet access while I'm up there. So, neither of these are likely to be updated during this time.  
>But don't fret, I can use my brother's laptop while I'm up there, so I can continue to write, just no internet.<strong>

**Anyways, hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 14<span>

Tony stared blankly at the man on the other side of the glass mirror. The blood that had once covered him had been carefully washed away once he had been admitted into the hospital, now showing no sign of any injuries. The man on the bed's green eyes were closed, his chest slowly rising and falling.

Tony wished it would just stop moving.

He hated the man in the other room. Tony wish he had died from his injuries, but for him to die that way would have been a merciful way for him to go. It was better this way.

Tony realized he was glad Ziva had a reason to put a bullet into Tommy, the bastard deserved it.

Tony sighed before turning to his left and walking. His gut twisted even tighter with every step. Every instinct told him to turn around then and there, but he couldn't, he had to do this, for Tim's sake.

Tony slowly made it to the window. His eyes glanced at the two most important things in the room.

First, the heart monitor.

The slow, pitiful beating of the rhythm of his heart some how still comforted Tony. Now that Tim could breath of his own again, Tony could finally relax.

Tony closed his eyes, massaging his temples with his fingers. It hadn't been long ago that his heart monitor had nearly gone flat. Tony had never been so fearful in his life.

"_Tim?" Tony called out, having felt the arm around his neck and the head on his shoulder go limp._

_No response._

"_Tim!" Tony shouted. He heard Ziva quickly running into the house. _

_"Ziva!" he called. "Ziva, call 911, now!" Slowly, he set Tim gently onto the ground. He quickly placed two fingers onto McGee's neck._

_Ba-dump…_

…

_Ba-dump…_

…

_Ba-dump… _

…

_He needed to stay calm. Until the paramedics arrived, it was up to him to keep Tim alive. Tony steeled himself, knowing what he had to do._

'_Gosh, Tim. When I said I would give you dating advice, kissing you didn't exactly come to mind.' Tony joked to himself, knowing it would be the only way he could remain calm._

'_30 pumps, 2 breaths. 30 pumps, 2 breaths.' He repeated it to himself constantly, meantally blocking out everything else around him. He could only focus on two things, his CPR, and Tim. Anything else would have disastrous results._

"_McGee! Come on, Probie! Stay with me!" Tony pleaded as he resumed pounding on the chest of his friend. He felt a tear weighing down his lashes._ _No, he needed to focus. The only thing important was keeping Tim alive. _

Tony was brought back to the present as a pair of arms wrapped around him.

Abby?

No, this was gentler than one of Abby's death hugs.

"Ziva told me what happened. Thank you… for saving my brother."

Sarah.

Tony nodded slowly, unable to say anything as he watched the still body in front of him with misty eyes.

_Damn it, Tim. You can't die. Your family would miss you._

And shortly after he thought that, he realized he wasn't sure if he was talking about the McGees…

Or Team DiNozzo.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: In case your confused.<br>Tim did not get shot.  
>Ziva was the one who fired the gun because Tommy charged at her.<br>Tim merely passed out from a mix blood loss and dehydration.  
>(Along with his other injuries)<strong>

**Hope you enjoyed!**

****Reviews/ Watches/ Favorites would be a great way to get into the holiday spirit!  
>... Please? <strong>**


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: I apologize. I never meant for it to take so long... with Winter Break and my editor getting some virus... I never was able to upload this. I'm pretty sure we're gonna get back on track soon. Sorry about the long wait!**

**In other news, I hope you all had a great holiday season and a Happy New Year!  
><strong>

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><p><span>Chapter 15<span>

"Today's Sunday, McGee." He started awkwardly. "Went to that restaurant last night, just like we always do…" He faded off, a soft sigh escaping his lips during the pause. "It's not fun eating alone, you know that, right?"

He breathed in shakily as he ran a finger through his hair.

"Tim…" He mumbled, softly, his right hand desperately (yet gently) holding the right hand of the other man.

"Probie, man, can't you wake up now?"

Tony knew the pleading was hopeless. The doctors themselves even said that it would take some time yet for McGee to wake up.

But a guy could hope, right?

"Tim… I need you here, buddy. I mean, Palmer's just silent, Ducky's basically shaking every detail possible about your recovery, Abby's having a mental breakdown every second, Ziva looks ready to kill someone… more then usual, and I…" He shook his head. "I can't handle all of this on my own…" He stared at Tim.

Stared at the pale body.

Stared at the blank, lifeless expression.

Stared at the man who had always been there for him.

"Tim, when Gibbs left… there was no way in hell I would've survived without you as my Senior Field Agent. Dealing with the director, taking my shifts on nights I was too stressed out to work, helping me with paperwork that I couldn't understand, or just being there when I needed someone to talk to…" He exhaled heavily, the stress of the situation heavily sinking in.

"I let you down, Tim…" He shook his head. "I should've gotten to you sooner." Tony sighed as he slowly stood up and, releasing Tim's hand, slowly made his way to the window.

He stared out for a while.

The gentle breezes that slowly shook the branches of the trees, the leaves slowly fluttering softly onto the ground, the occasional bird that would fly by, or the soft singing on an insect of sorts… who would ever guess that on such a calm, normal day like this, that the events would be anything but?

Tony slowly turned his head to Tim while his body still faced the window.

"Tim… I need you to wake up, bud. I need to tell you how much you mean to me."

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><p><strong>Author's Note: I know, I know, it's short.<strong> **Next one's really long, though, and I'm almost done with it.**

**Reviews/ Watches/ Favorites are greatly appreciated!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: OK... so I realized that the timing between last chapter and the next chapter was awkward, so I made to make a 'filler' chapter to make the timing less... weird... I guess. (Can't really think of the right word.) XD **

**I'm almost done the next chapter, it should be up in a few days.**

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><p><span>Chapter 16<span>

Two days.

48 hours.

1,440 minutes.

86,400 seconds.

It took Tim roughly 2 days to begin to show signs of waking up.

It was the most tortuous 86,400 seconds of Tony's life.

When the doctor had told them that Agent McGee had woken up, he immediately jumped out of his chair, along with McGee's parents and sister.

Tony called the rest of his team and excitedly told them the news.

Due to Ziva's driving, plus the encouragements that were given by Abby to go faster, they were there in three minutes, shaving off an impressive twelve minutes from the drive.

They all stood in the waiting room. After a short while of waiting, Tim's nurse walked out of the doorway.

"Other then Agent McGee's family, there can only be one visitor at a time. I apologize, but this is to make sure that there will be enough room in case… something were to happen."

Tony grimaced.

Was Tim still in critical condition?

"Well. With that said, who should go first?" All eyes turned towards McGee's family, who simply nodded their thanks and followed the nurse.

_Out of the rest of us…Abby will definitely want to go first, no surprise there. _Tony thought to himself as he turned to the Forensics Specialist, who was sitting next to Ducky, shaking her leg with anticipation. _Ziva will go next, Ducky will want to check McGee's health condition to be sure, so he'll go after her, Palmer will want to go after Ducky… So. That leaves me to be last. _Excusing himself with a quiet singular cough, Tony stood up and walked around the hallway. No exact destination in mind, his feet just taking him anywhere but that waiting room, and Tim.

The nurse had said in case something was to happen. Did that mean Tim was barely hanging on? Was McGee breathing on his own? What was the extent of the injuries? Anything permanent? Would Tim be able to continue being his Senior Field Agent?

Tony really wished he were listening when the nurse read them the list of what Tim's injuries included. He wanted to listen, but he couldn't bring himself to. He hated not knowing what to worry about.

_Just breathe. This is nothing. _

Suddenly, he realized that he knew where he was; Tony stopped and turned his head to the right.

How the hell did he manage to end up at this room, of all rooms?

With the evilest grin he's ever managed, Tony mentally laughed at the man pacing slowly back and forth in the room's loneliness before walking on.

_You know what they say, Tommy… _

_No one mourns the wicked._

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><p><strong>Author's Note: I realized that I never had Tony make one movie reference as of yet in this entire fanfiction. (Mostly due to my lack of movie knowledge...) So when I saw this opportunity, I knew I couldn't pass it up.<br>(Movies... Musicals... same basic thing) XD**

__**Reviews/ Watches/ Favorites are greatly appreciated! **


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: My poor editor wanted to kill me when she saw the length of this chapter. XD (Trust me, it was a _lot_** **longer before she edited it. **

**Regardless, I hope you enjoy.**

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><p><span>Chapter 17<span>

McGee's eyes snapped open.

_Oh, God. What did Tommy do to me?_

His mind worked through the labyrinth that he was in, struggling to find where it had been before. But the migraine inside his head was like a brick wall, impenetrable to any form of artillery that he threw against it.

But then he stopped.

The ceiling above him was white, not gray. This wasn't his prison.

Was he dead?

No. He could feel it in his chest.

His heart was definitely beating.

He was definitely alive.

Then what the hell happened?

He remembered being alone in that room, wrists numb from loss of circulation. He remembered the knock on the door. There was- shouting? Then there was the sound of running... and the door behind him...

Tony…

Tony saved him?

It hurt his head, and he pushed his struggle aside, simply relieved he wasn't tied to a chair in some decrepit, moldy room.

He was tied down to a hospital bed in a depressingly empty room instead

Wires were attached to him almost everywhere. Head, arms, wrists, stomach, legs…

He couldn't move.

_I might as well be in a straight jacket,_ he thought to himself.

The door opened.

"Tim?" McGee jumped at the voice. His head swiveled to the right, and he was surprised to see the three people standing in the door.

"Mom? Dad?" McGee questioned as he noticed all three figures approach him.

"Oh, Timothy, how are you?" his mom exclaimed. She ran over to him, taking her son into her arms.

"You alright there, son?" His dad said gruffly with a grin as he ruffled Tim's hair. One of the very few ways his father ever showed affection.

McGee winced at the contact.

"Tim, I was so afraid. Your surgery- God I was so worried you weren't going to make it," Sarah said worriedly. She bowed her head, holding her hands together.

"Did… did Tommy…?"

"He's here. He took a bullet in the leg when he provoked your friend, Ziva, into firing."

"That's not what I mean," Tim said, squinting his eyes. "I meant... did he hurt you? I know... that... he didn't just have it in for me." All three pairs of eyes exchanged glances.

"Tommy stuffed your mom and I in some abandoned gang hideout, but don't worry. We're fine," his dad offered. Tim's face molded over with anger, and he froze in disbelief.

"I'm sorry- for everything. The only reason this happened was because I was a coward," McGee replied bitterly.

"Stop that," Sarah said sternly. "This isn't your fault, you hear me? Tommy, he's- he's always been insane."

"Sarah's right." His dad responded as he nodded his head. "So, 'Agent McGee', how's life been at the office?"

The three of them remained close by his side for a long while, talking to him about his life at the office, about life at home. He knew they were trying to distract him, but it still did him some good. He needed something to get his mind off the pain. After a time, his sister and his parents bid him farewell and left him their blessings, offering up time to speak with his friends. McGee lay back on his pillow, relaxed, and waited for his next visitor.

He wished he hadn't had fallen asleep.

If he hadn't, then he might've been able to stop the death hug that was sending him to the brink of suffocation.

"Timmy!"

"Abby-" he said startled. "Abby, I need some air," he said stiffly.

"Sorry!" She said leaning back, looking at him in the face.

Tim wasn't sure what had gotten into him. Normally Abby's hugs were the perfect recipe for healing a withered soul, and he had to admit, they were something he would have missed had he passed. But he had to hold himself still to keep from shaking violently, and he turned away as he felt his face turn red. Abby watched him with a slightly hurt expression, but she pushed it aside.

"I can't believe you were kidnapped by your evil twin brother! I mean Gibbs gets caught in an explosion, Tony gets the plague- what's next?" Tim smiled weakly as he struggled to sit up. "We were all so worried! When you didn't show up to work, we thought something was up, but then when Tony and Ziva went to a crime scene, they come back with a blood sample that had you written all over it! I mean, gosh, Tim, you scared us to death!"

"Sorry, Abs," Tim grimaced, looking the other way.

He jumped slightly as Abby reached over and wrapped him in a hug again. He let out a small, shaky sigh, and stopped resisting slightly. Was it... fear that made him act like this?

She let go.

"Take care, Tim," she smiled softly as she walked to the door, closing it gently behind her.

It wasn't a minute later that the door re-opened.

"Hey," Ziva said with a stiff smile.

"Hey, Ziva." He responded with a smile as he watched her walk up to him.

Without any verbal response, she placed a hand on his head. Tim's eyes went wide as he sat there stunned and silent, before he heard her whispering something in Hebrew. Tim wasn't sure if it were a blessing or a phrase simply stating she was glad he was OK, but whatever it was, Tim felt comforted by it, well, as comfortable as he could be with that hand on his forehead. He slowly closed his eyes as he listened to Ziva naturally speak in her native tongue. After a while, he felt her pull her hand away.

"Thanks, Ziva." She nodded slowly.

"I did not see you until I saw Tony laying you down. By that time you had almost stopped breathing, I began to fear the worse."

Tim went to put his hand on his shoulder but was restricted by the cords and wires around him. He frowned, instead saying, "I'm sorry, Ziva."

"Do not apologize, McGee." She responded sharply. "You could not help it."

"Right." He nodded. She smiled.

"I'll leave you to rest," Ziva nodded as she left the room. She looked back at him with a tried smile as she turned her back to him to brush something from her face.

"Timothy! My dear lad! I do trust you are well! Or, should I say, as well as you can be in your current state."

Tim smiled as Ducky walked in. He noticed the M.E.'s eyes went straight to the meters and charts above him.

"I'm fine, Ducky," he said with a slight laugh. "Thanks for stopping by."

"Of course! Did you think I wouldn't come in to guarantee your well-being?"

"Of course not." Tim responded with the smile still on his face.

"Ducky. I figured it would be best if I heard it from you. How am I?"

Ducky paused for a second before looking away and responding.

"Good grief, Timothy. I mean, you withstood a minor cervical fracture, a broken left arm, a mild concussion, and a couple of broken ribs. One of those caved in, but they fixed that during your surgery. The other two were left to heal conservatively."

McGee nodded.

"When can I leave?"

Ducky stared at him with widened eyes.

"Heavens, Timothy. Do not rush yourself! It will take time for everything to heal! Surely you do not expect to go back to work tomorrow?"

"It's just... I miss my job. Ducky, none of my injuries will keep me from my job, right?" Ducky walked over to Tim and felt his forehead. Tim recoiled at the touch. Ducky pulled back with a nod.

"If everything goes well, then yes, you should be fine.

"Thanks, Ducky."

"Anytime, my boy." Ducky stated with a nod. "I'm afraid I must evaluate the injuries of your captor, much to my dislike. I need to make sure that his condition matched what Ziva and Tony reported." Ducky glanced back at the monitors and turned back to him.

"Do take care of yourself." Ducky said as he turned and headed out the door, which closed with a soft thud.

"Agent McGee? Are you asleep?" He heard Palmer's voice emanate from the door.

"No, Palmer, I'm not asleep," McGee replied with a small grin.

"Oh- hey," Palmer said with a small smile, shutting the door.

"Thanks for coming to see me," McGee said earnestly.

"Sure thing!" Palmer smiled. "So, you OK in here?"

"Yeah. I'm all good." There was a slight pause.

"You know, the doctors here have a good taste for books." Palmer turned to McGee questioningly. "Earlier I asked one of the nurses if I could have something to read." He nodded towards the desk next to Palmer.

"Deep Six..." Palmer said scratching his head. "No way..." he laughed.

"Yep. She handed it to me saying that she thought I would like it, since it was a crime book… she also stated that one of the characters has a name similar to mine in it."

"That would be because it does, Agent McGee. Or should I say, Agent McGregor?" Palmer smiled as he turned to him. "You would think she would've recognized you from the picture..."

"There's no picture of me in that one. They've removed the book jackets for some reason."

Palmer nodded before they once again feel in silence.

The word 'awkward' kept bouncing into Tim's head.

"Well, I guess I will go make sure Doctor Mallard is handling… Tommy… OK. I'll talk to you later, I guess?" Palmer held out his hand. McGee reached over with his right hand, as much as he could with all the wires, that is. Feeling bad for him, Palmer closed the space and gripped his hand. With a startled gasp, McGee pulled his arm back before looking away.

"Yeah… sure. Thanks for stopping by." Tim nodded as Palmer closed the door. Lying back on the pillow, he slowly began to close his eyes.

He eyes snapped open as he heard the lock turn. His craned his neck to look past the curtain at the man standing in the doorway.

"Hey, Probie. How you doing?"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: This chapter was basically my 'let's not forget every other character' chapter. XD <strong>

**Any and all reviews/ watches/ favorites help keep me from entering the dreaded thing known as writer's block. (Hopefully)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note: Failu****re on my part. I started writing the next chapter and I completely forgot to upload this one. Sorry!**

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><p><span>Chapter 18<span>

Tony found himself with his back hunched over as his hands cupped his cheeks while his elbows rested on his legs. He glanced over and to see Palmer leave with a rather confused expression on his face. Tony looked around the waiting room.

Empty of everyone he knew.

With a soft groan, he stood up as he swiftly moved towards the door.

His shaky hand came into contact with the cold metal, and he instantly recoiled.

Laughing at himself for the state he was in, he quickly moved his hand back to the doorknob. Bracing himself without realizing it, he opened the door.

"Hey, McGee. How you doing?" Tony mentally cursed at himself for how 'un-DiNozzo like' that sounded.

"I'm alive, right?" Tim replied with a smile as Tony walked over. His eyes quickly scanned over Tim, checking for anything out of the ordinary.

The first thing that sent a wave of anger down Tony's spine was the stitches that were visible on Tim's wrists and bare chest. Tony grimaced.

Tommy was going to pay.

Big time.

"Yeah, I guess that's true." Tony replied as he faked a grin. "Need me to get you anything, McGee? Maybe some water or a-"

"No. I'm good." Tim interrupted as he shook his head. "I just want some company… if you're not busy, of course." Tony thought about what his day would've been once he went home. No doubt he would've been surrounding himself with beer and a bunch of movies, although he probably wouldn't be able to focus on the movies, he would be too busy worrying about Tim. In a way, he was glad McGee asked him to stay; he would've felt weird if he were the one asking Tim.

"Yeah. Sure, I'm free." Tony replied. He saw Tim smile as he grabbed a chair from against the wall and drug it towards the bed.

"Thanks. I'm sorry… it's just… I don't want to be alone right now… it's pathetic, I know… but…"

"Stop that." Tony interrupted him before he could go any further. "You're doing it again. You have no reason to be ashamed. It's like I said earlier, Tim. You are not to blame, and you have nothing to be sorry for, OK?" Tim nodded slowly before glancing away.

"You're right… sorry, Tony."

"Alright, that's it!" Tim turned to him. "You're not allowed to apologize anymore." Tony exclaimed as he pointed an accusing finger at him. "You hear me?"

"Sorry…" Tony shot a glare at him. "Um, I mean, yeah, Tony. Sure thing."

Tony grinned.

"Good. Now that that's out of the way." He felt his face suddenly turn serious. "Wanna let it off of your chest?"

"What?"

"Come on, Tim. I know it's hard, but keeping it all bottled up isn't gonna help either, buddy. I'm not going to force you if you really don't want to talk, but if you do want to talk, I'm all ears, pal."

Tim glanced away, and Tony thought that he would find someway to avoid telling Tony. That is, until McGee turned to face him with eyes braver and yet more scared then Tony has ever seen in those emerald eyes before.

"It… it started off verbally." Tim responded, his eyes closed, but Tony wasn't sure if that was because he was trying to remember, or because it was painful to do so.

"You know, he mostly just threw petty insults at me at first, maybe an occasional punch or kick. But then… it started escalating…" Tim looked away again as he trailed off.

Tony placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"I'm here for you, Tim." McGee nodded, and after a short silence, turned back towards Tony.

"He would assault me. Twice he did nothing but walk into the room, attack me with a barrage of fists, and then leave." Tony saw McGee look away, pain filling his eyes. He was about to tell McGee that he could stop, but Tim kept going before he got the chance.

"He must've researched different types of torture. He had all different kinds… Light shining in my eye… Near drowning… Chinese Water torture… You know… except for the knife… none of those really inflicted any physical harm…"

"Knife?" Tony's eyebrows sprung up at the word.

Tim pointed to his forehead. Tony followed to the tip of McGee's fingers to notice two scars.

One scar ran parallel to the ground; it's almost perfectly straight form sickened Tony.

The second one came in at an angle, from top right to bottom left. The two intersected at one point, forming a dangerously red spot.

Tony grimaced before glancing back at Tim's eyes.

"Two?"

McGee nodded.

"Two. One for each day of hell I spent with Tommy."

Tony swore. If only Ziva and he and had gotten there sooner! Tim might only have had one of those! And one was already one too many.

"Damn it. Tim… I'm-"

"Thanks, Tony." Tim interrupted. Before Tony could question, he felt Tim grab his left hand and tightened the grip. "Thank you for saving me."

Tony, unsure of what to say, glanced at McGee's eyes, and noticed they were heavily falling fast.

"You want me to go? You'll be able to catch up on some much needed beauty sleep."

"You'll come back, right?"

"Of course." Tony replied with one of his 1,000-watt smiles. Tim grinned before nodding and, laying his head back on the pillow, began falling back into sleep.

Once Tony was sure that McGee was sleeping soundly, he released the hand that had encased his own before he stood and left the room. He began heading towards the parking lot, knowing exactly where he needed to go.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: And where could Tony possibly be headed? You're just going to find out now, aren't you?<strong>

**Reviews/ Watches/ Favorites are the cherries on the top of my awesome sundae of life. :D **


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: This... took much longer then it should've. I have no reason as to why, guess I just caught a mild case of writer's block.**

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><p><span>Chapter 19<span>

Tony's face was blank as the doors swung open automatically. He shivered slightly as he felt the cold air rush into him. He looked around and immediately noticed the person he was looking for at the far end of the room.

"Ducky!" Tony called out as he quickly walked over.

"Ah, Anthony! Dear boy, what can I do for you? You have not developed a new case so soon, have you?"

"Nope. No such luck." Tony grinned as he shook his head.

"It's about young Timothy, isn't it?"

Tony's face fell.

"Yeah. Ducky, I was wondering about psychological symptoms from something like this."

"Kidnap and abuse from someone he knew at one point in his life? Surely he has developed at least a minor fear of being touched at the least."

"What?"

"I believe Timothy is suffering from a form of Aphenphosmphobia…" Ducky continued as he walked over to the computer. "Now, Aphenphosmphobia can be broken down into more specific types, but at the moment I am afraid we will have to go with the most vague term until I can learn everything about Timothy's condition. I can, however, say that he will most definitely not enjoy being touched."

"But, Ducky… at the hospital, he-"

"Did he react differently to you as well?"

"Yeah... But, Ducky, not in the-"

"Unfortunately, the best we can do is keep our distance until young Timothy can come to terms with his phobia."

"Ducky!" Ducky spun to him, startled by the sudden loud noise. Tony hesitated, and then realized that maybe the entire team should be involved in this conversation.

"Should I call the team?"

Ducky nodded.

"So, what you're saying, Ducky, is that Timmy is scared of us touching him?" Abby responded after hearing Ducky's diagnosis of the problem.

"I did notice he seemed to act scared when I put my hand on his forehead." Ziva muttered. They glanced at her. "I was giving him a Hebrew blessing. I did not know I was going to invoke this phobia of his."

"Yes. I myself felt Timothy's forehead for a temperature, and he flinched as well… what about the rest of you?"

"…I had my arm out for a handshake before I left. Agent McGee reached his hand out, and I noticed he was shaking, so I closed the gap… he yelped and drew back his arm…"

"Yes. Sudden, unexpected contact such as that can't be too good for the lad."

"Well, I didn't help much either then…" Abby moaned. "I woke him up with a surprise Abby hug. That must've scared him to death…"

Silence loomed over the air, slowing dragging everyone down to a state of sighs.

"He really did that to all of you?" Tony finally questioned. They all turned to him.

"That's right, Anthony, you haven't said how Timothy reacted to you. Care to enlighten us?"

Tony glanced hesitatingly around the room.

Should he tell them?

He would feel kind of bad saying:

_Oh, yeah. About that. Yeah, he was totally cool when I grabbed his shoulder. Actually, he then proceeded to grab my hand and ask me to stay._

"Pardon me, friends. Could you leave Anthony and I alone for a while? We have some important matters to discuss."

With silent nods, the three others left the room.

"I'm assuming his reaction towards you was worse then theirs." Ducky commented as soon as they left.

"What? No. That's what I've been trying to say. Ducky, it was the exact opposite."

"Really now?"

"Really." Tony nodded. " I grabbed his shoulder, but he didn't flinch or anything. Then, shortly before I left, **he** grabbed **my** hand and asked to revisit him soon…"

"Timothy, Timothy, Timothy." Ducky muttered. "Always one to surprise with your 'forgive and forget' attitude."

"Ducky. Not making much sense here." He watched as Ducky turned to him.

"When you explained to Palmer, Abby, and I what happened while we were in the waiting room, my mind immediately came up with two different scenarios."

"A and B?"

"Yes… A and B…

"Scenario A was the one I thought was going to happen. He would react somewhat hesitatingly to everyone's touches, but most drastically react to yours."

"And why did you think that?"

"Anthony." He paused, trying to think of the correct wording. "I know you and Timothy's relationship has matured greatly over the years here at N.C.I.S., however, you must remember how you acted to him at the beginning. You know, with all of the teasing and hazing."

'_It… it started off verbally' _Tim's statement raced into his mind.

'_You know, he mostly just threw petty insults at me at first.'_

"What are you implying?" Tony questioned with a soft scowl.

"I am implying that scenario A was McGee never fully being comfortable around you. I was afraid that he would be reminded of Tommy through the way you used to 'man him up', I believe you called it."

Tony was dead silent.

"However, scenario A is not the case, now is it?" Tony glanced towards him. "No, but rather, scenario B."

"And tell me, Ducky, what scenario B involves?"

"Scenario B is where Timothy is trusting fully of you and only you, due to the fact that you, essentially, cut and freed him from the ropes that were binding him to his torture, and to Tommy. Am I wrong in saying that that is what you did?"

"Well, that's an extreme way of putting it… but, yeah, I guess."

"In other words, Tony, you are the only person who has Timothy's full trust."

The words sunk heavy into Tony.

"Timothy is relying on you, as much as we are relying on you as well, to bring him back to his usual self."

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><p><strong>Author's Note: A lot of you guessed he would go to visit Tommy. That's what I was thinking about doing, but I realized I wanted that to happen a little later, but not quite yet.<strong>

**Thank you all for your continued support in this story!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Tony looked wearily around the hospital as he tiredly made his way inside. He glanced at his cell phone's clock as he walked over to the nurse's counter.

30 minutes until work began.

Well, 35 minutes in Tony time.

"Hello, sir. How can I help you?" The nurse questioned politely once he had walked up to the counter.

"I'm looking for McGee's current status." Tony exclaimed; making sure nothing had happened since his last visit. After a short while of buttons clicking, the nurse looked at him with a face of puzzlement.

"He's left the hospital, sir."

Tony stared at her with widened eyes that helped none-whatsoever in trying to hide his worry.

Not in the hospital?

The hell happened to him?

There's no way he's recovered that fast…

Unless.

Oh no…

"Wh-what?" Tony questioned, the words managing to bypass the knot that had jammed itself into his throat.

"NCIS picked him up this morning, sir, you could probably stop by after-"

"What the hell happened to Tim?" Tony roared as he slammed his fist onto the desk.

"Tim…?" The nurse questioned, confused. She glanced back at the screen. "I'm talking about Tommy McGee. Are you confusing him with someone else?"

Tommy…

Tommy.

Of course.

They grabbed Tommy out of the hospital to drag him into interrogation.

"No…" Tony laughed now, everything making sense. "No, I'm sorry, I'm talking about Timothy McGee."

The nurse nodded as she went back to typing, this time pulling out the correct file.

"He's the same as he was yesterday, sir. Would you like to visit him?"

That was Tony's original plan.

But now… knowing everything about Tommy, he knew he wouldn't be able to fully focus on Tim.

"No, no, I'm alright. Thanks though." Tony responded as he turned around and quickly made his way back to the car, knowing exactly where he needed to go.

* * *

><p>This was it. This was the moment he's been waiting for. He breathed in heavily, foot tapping lightly against the elevator floor as it slowly made it's way down. When it came to the intended floor, Tony walked emotionlessly out of the elevator before snaking his way in between hallways before, finally, reaching the door.<p>

He let out the breath he was holding since the elevator before reaching for the doorknob and opening the door.

Sure, maybe he was breaking a couple of NCIS rules and policies right now, but with the rage currently fogging his mind, he really didn't care.

The only other man occupying the room was seated at the only table, sitting at one of two chairs.

"Things aren't looking so good for you, Tommy." Tony started off as he flashed a grin at the man he despised with every ounce of his being.

Silence.

"Two charges of breaking and entering. Three counts of kidnapping, one of those being a navy marine and another one being a member of law enforcement. Three counts of attempted murder, same deal there. And finally one charge of aggravated assault." He recited the charges from memory as he glanced at Tommy, Tony's face would appear dead to the world if it weren't for the rage that covered it.

"The assault of Special Agent Timothy McGee." Tony turned towards the man. "The assault of a law enforcer who works here at NCIS." Tony's voice rose with each accusation. "The assault of one of my co-worker's." Tony quickly moved to stand in front of the man sitting on the opposite side of the table. "The assault of one of my teammates." Tony hunched over, glaring at the criminal. "The assault of my Senior Field Agent." Tony slammed his right fist onto the table.

"The assault of my best friend!" Tony roared as he grabbed the man in front of him by his collar before pulling him forcibly off the chair. "You call yourself a brother? You're a fucking disgrace! You have no idea what you took for granted!"

"Agent DiNozzo!" The door to his right opened suddenly. He turned, and immediately cursed to himself.

"Director Vance…"

"Come with me." Tony felt himself hesitate as he glanced towards Tommy. "Now. Special Agent DiNozzo." Tony sighed as he let go of Tommy and walked out of the room. Tension filled the air as he and Vance walked silently into the elevator. Having learned from Gibbs, Vance flicked the emergency stop switch before turning to Tony.

"Director Vance… I…"

"You shouldn't have been in that room, DiNozzo." Vance stated calmly. "You have no right to interrogate our suspect."

"Suspect? Did you just call him a fucking suspect?" Tony roared. "He's a criminal, Leon! You know what he did!"

"The only thing we know is that he was at the house when you two came to rescue Agent McGee. He could've just as easily been attempting to rescue McGee when you arrived. The McGees were unable to identify their captor, and plus, we still don't have proof it was the same person that kidnapped McGee."

"We have proof that Tommy kidnapped McGee though! His blood was at the apartment!"

"Yes, okay, so we have suspicion. Anything else?"

"Tim _told_ me at the hospital! He told me enough! Tommy's responsible! And damn it, Leon! You're just making this more difficult then this needs to be!"

"We cannot use that alone as evidence in a court room. And besides, Agent McGee could be delusional from the painkillers." Vance stated blankly.

"Delusional? You're the delusional one, Vance!" Tony yelled as he flipped the switch.

"Agent DiNozzo." Tony turned to face him. "I am removing you and your team from this case due to your connection with the victim." Tony stared at him with an open mouth.

"What? Vance, I-"

"You have a week off, DiNozzo, as does David. McGee has as many days off until his injuries recover. I suggest you take this time to cool down." Vance replied before walking out once the elevator doors opened. Tony remained inside as they once again shut.

_Cool down? How the hell am I supposed to relax when I know Tim's in the hospital?_

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><p><strong>Author's Note: I couldn't help myself. You all started thinking that last chapter was going to be Tony's 'confrontation' with Tommy, and when you did, I couldn't help but start getting ideas. I realized that I had to make it happen as soon as possible.<br>**


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note: I'm sorry. I owe you guys an apology for not updating in so long... I've been packed with my schedule and it was really hard to find the time to write. This chapter was going to have another part, but I felt like I should update just so nobody starts thinking I stopped this or whatever the case may be...**

**Anyways, hope you enjoy.**

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><p><span>Chapter 21<span>

"Tony? Are you OK? You look angry." He heard the man lying on the hospital exclaim. Tony grinned at him before slowly walking over to the bed, coffee in hand.

"Me? You're the one in the hospital bed and you're asking me if I'm OK? Typical, McWorry."

"Well, you look upset." McGee replied, frowning softly. "You seem like you're ready to hit something, or, someone, I guess I should say." Tony sighed as he sat down on the chair next to McGee's bed as he looked away.

"Vance kicked us off of the investigation." Tony stated bitterly.

"Well, it makes sense. After all, my family and I are the victims."

"You're not mad?" Tony questioned, startled by the calm reaction.

Tim shrugged before responding.

"I mean; it makes sense. Me being the victim, you or Ziva might do something irrational the second either one of you are left alone with Tommy."

_Was it really that obvious?_ Tony thought to himself as he felt himself grimace slightly.

"Yeah… I guess. But, damn it, Tim! What if they screw up the investigation?"

"Tony. How could they screw it up?" Tim replied patiently. "My parents were kidnapped and taken away from their home, I was kidnapped and forced into their home, Tommy's blood was at my apartment, I was being tortured, and Tommy was there when you arrived. End of story. How difficult could that be?"

"According to Vance, a lot more then that." Tony responded. "For example, Tommy could've simply been saving you when we came to get you."

Tim raised an eyebrow.

"Tommy? Save me? That's just ridiculous, especially after I made my statement about everything Tommy did."

"You could've been delusional." Tony replied, turning away before he said it and not looking afterwards.

"What?" Tim snarled.

"The painkillers. They could've had you spewing out random ideas and whatever fantasies your mind came up with."

"You… you seriously believe that?" Tim questioned so quietly, that Tony could barely hear it even when he strained his ears to listen. It hurt Tony to hear the sadness in the younger man's voice.

"No. Tim, I don't believe any word of it." He placed a comforting hand Tim's shoulder and squeezed gently. "I think it's all just a bunch of bullshit, honestly. But, when investigating-"

"You have to consider every possibility, I know. And with all the weird cases we get, it's hard to believe in such a thing as a 'straight-forward case', I get that… but still…"

The room drifted off into a silence, neither awkward nor comforting.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: I'm sorry for such a short chapter... I'll try to get something longer up soon, but no promises...<strong>


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